New SMEDIA Award Category

KBC Bank have announced a new award for this year’s KBC Student Media Awards. The ‘Outstanding Achievement Award’ will recognise exceptional excellence in student media.

Whether they’ve gone above or beyond the call of duty, or given their all to the development of third level media, KBC want to hear about students with a dedicated passion for their chosen media.

The KBC National Student Media Awards (Smedias) take place on Thursday April 16th at the Aviva Stadium.

Nominations for the ‘Outstanding Achievement Award’ are open for individuals or groups who have made a special contribution to campus media. Individuals or groups have to be nominated from within their college and the reasons for their nomination stated on the nomination form. The winner will receive a €1,000 prize from KBC.

National journalists and broadcasters judge the awards each year, which receive around 1,000 entries from top media students in Ireland. This year’s judges include Fionnan Sheehan – editor of the Irish Independent, Tim Vaughan – editor of the Irish Examiner, Cathy Fox – executive producer of The Late Late Show, Lenny Abrahamson – multi-award winning director, and Cathal Gaffney – founder of Brown Bag animation and multi-Academy Award nominee.

Aidan Power, Head of Brand and Marketing at KBC Bank Ireland, the title sponsor of the 2015 awards, said; “KBC Bank is delighted to sponsor the Smedia awards, which shine a light on emerging new talent in Irish journalism.”

He continued “as Ireland’s newest, most innovative retail bank, we understand the importance of encouraging students on their chosen career path from an early stage. The Smedia awards recognise the brightest and best in the business and provide a platform for the next generation of student journalists to shine from. We look forward to celebrating with this year’s applicants and winners at what promises to be a fantastic event for all involved.”

The National Student Media Awards have been run annually by oxygen.ie for the last fifteen years. Nominations are now open on oxygen.ie.